A Year Abroad
by The Pale Red Queen
Summary: Tessa Gray has just moved to London to attend a prestigious boarding school. She has no idea what to expect there and wants to go home… that is until she meets William Herondale, who she gets to know and discovers he is just right for her. The problem is, he has a serious girlfriend. But, after spending a year together, will Will finally see the truth?
1. New Here

**Hey everyone! I'm back with another story! As I said in the last chapter of _Forbidden Love_, I would be writing another TID fic. Except, I wasn't sure when and I thought that it wouldn't be for another few weeks. But the idea was too tempting, so here it is! It's another AU story, but modern day instead. So here's the first chapter. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing :)**

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Theresa Gray had never been abroad. Come to think of it, she had never even flown on an airplane. The whole experience was pretty intimidating, being her first time actually leaving New York City. She was quite glad once she had landed in the fabulous city of London. That's right, Tessa Gray was going to be spending a year abroad in London, but had no idea what would come out of it.

Although, Tessa knew nothing about London, or England in general. Okay, okay maybe she knew a little bit, but that was just from the books that she read; Heathcliff on the moors, parts of _A Tale of Two Cities_, and Harry Potter. Maybe a little bit of Doctor Who, which she watched with no shame. There was the British Museum, that was free, and St. Paul's Cathedral that miraculously survived World War II. There was the creepy Tower of London where lots of people were beheaded. There were pubs everywhere and people ate fish and chips. And the people here had crooked teeth and bad breath. But that was about it.

Tessa's father, Richard Gray, had practically forced her into studying abroad for an entire year. It was Tessa's senior year, and Richard believed that she ought to gain some worldly experience before she headed off to college. This meant sending her to his hometown to study in the Institute right here in London. Tessa begged and pleaded her father to at least allow her to spend her last year of high school at home. He ignored these shouts and reasoned with her. Unlike other schools in England, the Institute was modeled after American high schools, so Tessa was grateful for some amount of familiarity.

So here Tessa was, in her new dorm room at the Institute unpacking her bags. Since she had to fly to London, Tessa had to make due with very few belongings. At least she had all of her favorite books with her.

Tessa mentally chided herself. She was in London! Any other American teenager would kill for such an opportunity. Tessa knew that this was more for my father than for herself. He was big in the movie industry; one of those directors that made those cheesy romance movies. Richard Gray enrolled Tessa in the Institute more for the sake of his image than for his daughter's. The whole "worldly experience" crap was just a cover-up for this. He was just trying to show off how wealthy he was.

Tessa sighed. All she wanted was to finish up in New York City. Her dream was then to attend New York University and major in creative writing; from there, she wanted to become a published author, but it was a stretch. She had to make use of the most here to really spice up her application.

Tessa and her parents had arrived in London in the early afternoon hours and went straight to the Institute, which was located in the Temple area of London. Upon reaching the Institute, they were greeted by a cheery young man named Gideon who helped Tessa to her room. He quickly introduced himself, saying he was a recent graduate of the Institute and was a sort of supervisor for the dorms. Tessa wondered to herself why someone like him would be working here instead of studying in college. He had his reasons, Tessa supposed. He showed Tessa to her room, where she would be living alone; apparently everyone here had single dorms. She was on a floor with only girls who were upperclassmen. Tessa could get used to be the sole new girl among them. Evidently, everyone else had been here since their freshmen year and the senior class was only twenty-five, so basically everyone knew each other. This was a huge difference from her public school in New York, where her class had over six hundred! Tessa had some adjusting to do, and hoped she wouldn't be alone.

So here she was, unpacking her things. Her parents were assisting her with removing her stuff from her bags. Tessa's brother Nathaniel couldn't come along with her send off. Tessa missed Nate, but she understood that he was extremely busy with work back in the city. She would see him during the Christmas holidays, though.

"Tessa, it's getting late," her mother, Elizabeth Gray, said.

"What?" Tessa asked, then she understood. It was past nine at night and they had been here for so long setting the room back. Her parents had an early morning flight the next day to go back to New York. "Oh, right." Awkward silence.

Her parents turned to look at her. To Tessa's surprise, their eyes were glistening. She never thought that her father in particular cared for her. He walked over to grasp her arm, then choked out, "well, Tessa. We wish you best of luck. And we'll miss you." Then, even more to her surprise, he hugged her. "Study hard and make us proud. Don't go messing around and beware of boys."

He laughed, and her mother joined in. She came over to Tessa and also hugged her. "We love you Tessa. We'll call you as soon as we get back home."

Tessa realized with a pang that home was now London, not New York. "I love you too," she said to her parents.

They said their goodbyes and then left.

And now Tessa was alone for good. She sunk down onto her narrow twin bed and unleashed the tears she didn't even know she was holding until now. She tugged one of the pillows to her chest and held it tight, trying to calm herself down. A knock at the door snapped Tessa back into attention.

She walked over to see a girl Tessa's age and height standing at the doorway. She was pretty with dark brown hair and luminous hazel eyes. "Hey. Are you okay?" she said. She had a sweet sounding voice that made Tessa feel welcomed.

Tessa shook her head, her puffy eyes giving it away.

"It's alright. The first time is always the hardest. I cried too." The girl placed a comforting hand on Tessa's arm. "My name is Sophie Collins by the way. I live in the room next door." Tessa then suddenly noticed that Sophie had a British accent. Tessa thought this was an American school, but thought it better not to ask.

"Theresa Gray, although, everyone calls me Tessa" Tessa said, "I'm new here."

"Ah, so you're the new senior girl here. Well, welcome to the Institute." Sophie tilted her head and eyed Tessa curiously. "Why don't you come over to my room? I can give you some hot tea and biscuits."

"That would be lovely," Tessa said, forcing a smile.

"Well, come along," Sophie said linking her arms through Tessa's as if they were already the best of friends. She marched Tessa to the room next door and flung the door wide open. Tessa gaped at the room in front of her. It looked like someone had been living here their whole life; Sophie had definitely made herself at home. She had made good use of the space, apart from the bed, desk, chair, mini-fridge, and sink already there. There were posters and pictures covering every part of the wall and clothing was already neatly arranged in the closet. There were a bunch of knitted stuff alongside a beautiful quilt thrown on her bed.

"Did you make these?" Tessa inquired.

Sophie shrugged. "Yeah, but they're not the best."

"Are you kidding me? These are amazing! I can't even sew a button."

Sophie laughed. "Come, sit down. I'll go make you some tea." Tessa seated herself on Sophie's plush bed while the other girl filled a mug with water and put it in the microwave. She then went to her closet then reached to the top shelf, bringing out a box of shortbreads. She offered them to Tessa, who happily took them and bit into the buttery awesomeness of British treats.

"Any preference for tea?" Sophie offered.

"Black would be nice, thanks," Tessa said. Sophie went off to get the tea, and Tessa took the time to look at the pictures tacked onto the wall. They were all of the same people alongside Sophie engaged in various activities. There was a very tall boy who was lanky with brown hair and emerald, green eyes. There was another dark eyed haired boy with almond shaped eyes and carried an aura of peace and calm around him. Then, there were two others, a girl and boy, with matching jet black hair and startling dark blue eyes.

"Those are my friends," Sophie said behind Tessa, handing Tessa the mug with the seeping tea. She pointed at a picture of the five of them together standing in a grassy park, posing for the picture: Sophie standing next to the green-eyed boy, then the two with black hair, and finally the boy with dark hair.

"That's me with Gabriel, Cecily, Will, and Jem," Sophie said, "Well, I mean that's all my friends except for Jessamine. She transferred this year to another school in London. But you'll be able to meet the rest of them in breakfast tomorrow." Breakfast? Did that mean that Tessa had already found a group of friends here in London? Sophie went on with explaining. "They're all in our year except for Cecily, who's a junior. She and Gabriel have a thing for each other, you know? Oh and she's Will's younger sister. Speaking of Will, he's strictly off limits. He's dating Jessamine, and they've been together for a long time. And Jem is probably the nicest boy that you'll ever meet, although he's never really dated before." There was a hint of wistfulness in Sophie's voice, and Tessa deduced she was single. Tessa felt for her, she supposed. She had only two crushes back in New York, but never acted on them.

Tessa, wanting to change the subject, was about to ask Sophie what classes she was taking when Sophie's phone buzzed.

"Drat," muttered Sophie, "that's my mum calling. Well, it was nice meeting you Tessa! See you at breakfast tomorrow morning?"

Tessa nodded. "Of course. And thank you so much for the tea."

"No problem," Sophie beamed at her, "well, bye for now."

Tessa waved goodbye and left Sophie's room. She quietly shut the door before turning around and slamming right into a wall. No, not a wall. A boy.

"Argh," he said, stumbling backwards.

"Oh my gosh I'm so sorry!" Tessa exclaimed. "I totally did not see you there."

The boy steadied himself and straightened up. Only then did Tessa get a good look at him under the lights of the corridor. And what she saw made her lose her breath. First thing she noticed was that he was tall. Tessa was tall for a girl, and never had to look up at a book. But this boy was at least six feet. He had messy black hair and dark blue eyes that complimented each other beautifully. That's what he was. He was beautiful.

"No worries," he said cheerily, "I didn't see you either." He, like Sophie, also had a British accent.

Tessa said nothing to this. She was taken away by his accent, which unlike Sophie's, had a certain lilt to it making it almost musical.

"Does Sophie live here?" he asked, raising a dark eyebrow.

Tessa still said nothing, probably appearing very stupid. She already loved his accent.

"You know, Sophie Collins?" the boy said again. "Your height? Dark hair? She makes awful knitted things and such?" He regarded Tessa with amusement. "Did I interrupt something? Were you going to bed?"

"Oh, Sophie!" Tessa said a little overenthusiastically. "Yes, she does live here!" Tessa surprised herself by how fake she nearly sounded. She felt her cheeks burning from pure humiliation.

The boy didn't show any evidence of seeing this, but regarded her with further amusement. "Ah, I see," he grinned, revealing dazzling, straight white teeth too perfect to even be real, "well, the names William Herondale, but you can call me Will. I live on the floor above. The all boys' upperclassmen floor."

"Oh cool. I live next to Sophie," Tessa said lamely, "I'm Theresa Gray, but you can call me Tessa." So this was Will, one of Sophie's friends. Was he the one who was off limits? Tessa racked her brain, but apparently forgot. Must have been the jetlag.

"I see, you are American," Will observed. "Are you the new girl?" he added. Tessa nodded. Seemed like everyone knew about her in this place.

Will stepped around Tessa and knocked on Sophie's door. "Well, it was nice to meet you, Tessa. I'll see you around." He gave her a polite nod and entered Sophie's room. Tessa couldn't get over the way he said her name: it started with a hard _T_, followed by a caressing _S_, ending with a breathless _A_. And said in a sexy British accent, it was ten times better.

Tessa entered her room and shut the door behind her, leaning against it. She exhaled, letting go of a breath she had no idea she was holding. Right then, she knew that this year was going to be a lot better than she expected.

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**And there's the first chapter :) So what did you think so far? I'll warn you, but I probably won't be getting back to this story until after I finish my other fic. So maybe another three or four weeks or so? Yeah.**

**What do we say then? Three reviews to let me know that y'all are interested? I appreciate any feedback! **

**Cheers!**

**~The Pale Red Queen**


	2. The Breakfast Club

Tessa woke up bright and early the next morning to get ready for her first day of classes. Much to her surprise, the jetlag didn't have that much of an affect on her; it was seven in the morning in London, meaning it was two in New York, and she felt wide awake. She had exactly an hour to eat breakfast and receive her schedule, which she figured was plenty of time.

Tessa changed into what she presumed was appropriate for the first day of school: dark jeans, a white tank top with a navy blue blazer, and neat black flats. She left her room with an umbrella in hand – it seemed that it always rained in London. She considered knocking on Sophie's door to ask about breakfast again. Tessa quickly panicked, and thought better of it, reasoning that she would meet Sophie at the dining hall and it was best not to wake her if she was still asleep.

She made her way quietly down the long corridor, which, despite the Gothic appearance from the front of the building, was quite modern. Unfortunately, there were no elevators, or lifts as they were called here, so Tessa had to use the stairs. On the bright side, going down was easier than going up. But on the down side, she was on the fifth floor of the six-story building.

The rain was lightly drizzling, though the clouds up ahead didn't look promising. They were definitely in for a storm tonight. Tessa forced her black and white polka dotted umbrella open, protecting her from the rain as she made her way across the campus towards the dining hall. The Institute was located in the Temple district of London, right on Fleet Street. It wasn't particularly touristy, which Tessa much preferred. If she wanted to see the sights and sounds of London, they were literally just a walk or a Tube ride away. She told herself she would master the art of navigating the Tube by the end of her year here.

It was a peculiar campus, in the sense that the dormitory and dining hall were separate buildings. The bulk of the classes were held in a structure that was once an old church renovated into the school. Everything had the Gothic architecture, which made Tessa really feel like she was in Europe.

There was no one around, and for the first day, it was unusually bare. Tessa preferred being alone, and didn't mind at all. She walked to the dining hall; she knew where it was because she had come to visit the Institute before with her father a few months before. It was during the whole selection process that Tessa – or rather her father – did in choosing the school to board at. The campus wasn't that hard to move around, since there were practically only three buildings. But, for a cramped city, these buildings were endlessly far apart.

Tessa finally reached the dining hall, and thankfully did not get drenched. For a place that served solely food for so few people, it was pretty big. She pulled open the heavy, wooden doors, which required a lot of strength, and entered the hall. And when it was called a hall, it really did mean it. It looked identical to the Great Hall in Hogwarts, minus the floating candles. There were four rows of long, wooden tables, scattered with students who were already devouring their meals. There were a number of students, which would explain why Tessa didn't see anyone at campus. In the center of the room was a massive chandelier, beautifully illuminating the whole place and casting an almost romantic atmosphere around it. Towards the back, there were large windows looking out towards the busy city. The walls were composed of ancient stones atop each other with elaborate pillars spaced out. Along the sides was the only modern edition in the dining hall, the various stainless steel stations where different foods were being served. The place smelled deliciously of fresh baked breads and pastries, and Tessa felt her stomach grumble.

"Tessa!" someone shouted from her side. Tessa wheeled around to see Sophie waving at her enthusiastically from one of the long tables, a genuine smile plastered upon her face. Tessa hurried over to her, scooting in beside Sophie on the narrow bench.

"Thanks for saving me a spot," Tessa said gratefully, dropping her book bag down on the hard, stone floor. Tessa quickly noted that there were three others sitting with Sophie across from her at this certain spot at the table.

"No problem," Sophie grinned. Then she turned to her friends and said, "this is Tessa, the girl I was just telling you guys about."

"Oh, so you're the new girl," said the only other girl who had long, black hair and dark blue eyes. She looked strikingly similar to the beautiful boy, William Herondale, who Tessa met the other night.

"Cecily, be nice!" Sophie chided, and Tessa giggled. Cecily gave Tessa an apologetic look.

"I'm Theresa Gray," Tessa announced to everyone. "But please, call me Tessa. I much prefer that."

"You're American," one of the two boys observed. Tessa turned her attention towards him to see that the boy was smiling at her. He had a very pleasant smile, and Tessa had to admit that he was pretty cute. He was tall and skinny, but not stick skinny. He had messy dark brown, nearly black, hair and matching black eyes. His eyes were almond shaped, and Tessa guessed that he probably had some Asian heritage. Something about him seemed to relax Tessa, and she was no longer feeling the nerves that possessed her before.

Tessa nodded. "Yes, I come here from New York City."

The boy smiled again. "The names James Carstairs, but you can call me Jem," the boy said in a calm, but firm voice. "So Tessa, how do you like London?"

"It's gray. And does it ever stop raining here?" Tessa said, not hiding an ounce of the truth. The rain hadn't stopped since the day before, and Tessa had never seen the sun poke through the overcast sky. Everyone burst out laughing.

"You'll have to get used to it," Jem said kindly. "Lucky for us, we spend most of our time indoors because of school. But when the weather gets better, we will sure show you around London. No trip to London is complete without a full tour of the city."

"Thank you," Tessa said, finding herself lucky to be surrounded by such nice people already on the first day.

"If the weather ever clears up," the boy next to Jem and the girl, Cecily, snorted.

"Oh it will. Hopefully," Jem added wistfully.

"Not to worry James, the weather will be good for your tour," the other boy said, punching Jem playfully in the arm. The boy seemed to be a few inches taller than Jem with tousled, brown hair and startling green eyes.

"I'm Gabriel Lightwood," the boy said. His last name seemed familiar, but Tessa couldn't quite place a finger on where she had heard it before. "You probably met my older brother, Gideon Lightwood, when you moved in." That would explain everything.

"Yes, I did," Tessa nodded in recollection. "You're brother was extremely helpful yesterday."

"He's a stupid fool really," Gabriel said, rolling his eyes. "Instead of going to university, he decided to stay here in this little hellhole."

"Gabriel!" Sophie exclaimed.

"Oh, come on Sophie," Gabriel teased. "When are you going to come out and admit that you like my brother?"

Sophie turned away, and Tessa caught a flash of a blush spreading across her face. That was sweet, Tessa supposed, that Sophie possibly liked Gideon. He seemed like a nice boy, or man for that matter.

"Don't listen to word he says," Cecily sighed. "The Institute really isn't that bad. It's just that after being here for a while, you do get bored with being with the same people here all the time. But don't worry, you won't feel that since you'll only be here for a year." She smiled. "I'm Cecily, by the way. Cecily Herondale."

"Cecily is like the baby of the group. The rest of us are all seniors, and she's the only junior here," Sophie said.

"Hey!" Cecily exclaimed with a pout.

"It's not a bad thing, Cecily," Sophie laughed. "Well, it seems like everyone is here," Sophie said.

"Everyone except William," Gabriel said. He turned to Cecily, draping an arm around her, and said, "Where is that blasted brother of yours? He is always running late."

"The blasted brother is right here," someone announced from behind. Tessa and Sophie spun around to see beautiful boy William Herondale standing right before them. "And stop touching my sister, Lightworm." Will then scornfully looked at Gabriel's arm wrapped protectively around Cecily's shoulder.

"Will!" Jem said, looking absolutely thrilled. He sprung up from his seat and Will tackled Jem into an embrace.

"They're like inseparable," Sophie muttered to Tessa. "I swear, these two are brothers if not by blood."

"It's good to see you, James," Will said, pulling apart from Jem and beamed at him.

"Likewise, William," Jem said smiling and sat back down in his seat. Will then gracefully slid into the seat beside Tessa. Their close proximity made Tessa all jittery again.

Gabriel cleared his throat, gathering everyone's attention. "Aren't you forgetting something here? I am dating your sister, so I can do what I want," he said, changing back to the subject at hand and lifting his chin up defiantly.

Sophie gasped. "I knew that there was something new between the two of you since we came back from summer holidays. I called it first, Jem." Jem sighed heavily.

"You may be all happy, but you're forgetting I'm her brother," Will said, shaking his head, his black curls bouncing around, "and I never ever agreed to this."

"You're opinion is not valid, William," Cecily said in annoyance. Tessa burst out laughing, but clapped a hand over her mouth. Will turned to her, finally acknowledging her presence.

"Don't tell me your siding with them, Tessa," Will accused, pointing at the rest of the group and widening his midnight eyes in horror.

"I never said what side I was on," Tessa said. "I'm neutral."

"Good, then you can join my side," Will grinned at her. Tessa swore she could feel her face redden, and quickly turned away before anyone could catch it.

"You know Tessa?" Jem asked out of curiosity.

Will nodded. "We met last night in the hallway."

"And what were you doing in the hallway?" Gabriel said, suggestively raising an eyebrow up.

"I was visiting Sophie," Will threw his hands up in exasperation. "Tell them, Sophie!"

"It's true," Sophie giggled.

"It is," Tessa attested. "I met Will after seeing Sophie yesterday."

"Very well, now that this is all settled, I'm going to go get breakfast," Will announced. He pulled back the sleeve of his jacket, revealing an expensive watch. "Classes begin in half an hour and we are yet to obtain our schedules." Will stood up, and then hesitantly tapped Tessa on the shoulder.

"What?" Tessa said.

"Well come along. You just can't starve yourself," Will said, and then he set off towards one of the stations. Tessa took this as a cue and followed right behind him. Will waited until Tessa caught up with him.

"So what are you in the mood for?" Will asked. "Eggs? Waffles? Cereal? Beans on toast?"

"Eggs sound good," Tessa said, her stomach growling in agreement.

"Eggs it is!" Will said, jutting a finger in the air. He then led Tessa towards one of the stations to their right, where a line was already starting to form. There was one chef there, who was taking orders and making the eggs as fast as he could. Will and Tessa stood in the back, where the queue was already ten students long. Will opened his mouth to say something to Tessa when someone appeared behind him, bumping him hard.

"Will!" it was a girl, slightly shorter than Tessa. Will spun around in his heel in surprise. The girl had sandy hair and green eyes and was staring at Will with adoration. Tessa felt a flash of jealousy, but brushed it away.

"Hallo there, Tatiana," Will said politely, but curtly, angling his body in such a way that he was blocking her.

The girl, Tatiana, clearly didn't get the message and pressed forward. "So how was your summer, Will? Did you stay here or did you go back to the States?" She extended her chest upwards to reveal the most amount of cleavage as possible. Tessa gagged.

Will seemed to not take notice of this. "I went back to Chicago for the summer. My mum is living there for the time being."

"And your father?" Tatiana asked, clearly showing off to Tessa that she knew more about Will than Tessa.

"He's still here in England, moving about the country," Will said with a sense of finality. "How was your vacation?"

"Well, you know," Tatiana said, taking her finger and twirling her hair about it, "amazing as always." She flipped her hair. "My father took my family on one of those luxury cruises around the Mediterranean. You know, the ones that go to like Spain, Greece, Italy, Monte Carlo, and all those fabulous resorts. Plus, I got a first class tan." She gestured to her body, which was an unnatural shade of orange that peaked under her short shorts and cami. Tessa cringed while looking at this – how could she wear something like this when it was freezing and wet outside?

"Nice," Will said, though he clearly didn't mean it.

"You know, I kept emailing you during my vacation, but I never got a response," Tatiana sighed dramatically. "I missed you so much over break."

"Must have had the wrong address," Will muttered half-heartedly. Tatiana went ahead and ordered her breakfast. Will turned to Tessa. "Hey, our turn's almost up. I'll go first, and you just follow. Just select whatever ingredients you want."

Will went first and ordered an omelet with bacon, mushrooms, onions, and pineapples. Tessa gave him a questioning look, in which he said, "Don't judge, it tastes delicious." Tessa laughed and shook her head, ordering her omelet with spinach and mushrooms. Much more normal.

Together the two of them shuffled off to the side, waiting for their food to be made. Tessa stood there in awkward silence, while Will whistled to himself that sounded like a cross between "A Whole New World" and "What Makes You Beautiful". Tessa chuckled.

"What?" Will asked, abruptly stopping his melodious tune.

"Nothing," Tessa said, staring down at the floor. She rocked back and forth on her feet. "Will, can I ask you a question?"

"Ask away, my fair lady," Will said, flashing a grin.

"Why is everyone here British?"

Will suddenly jerked back, clearly taken aback by this. "Are Americans always this rude?" Tessa hid her face in her hands in shame, but Will said, "I'm only kidding." He laughed. He had such a nice laugh.

Tessa scowled anyways. "I mean, I thought this was an American school. I thought there would be Americans here."

"Oh, you Americans are so full of yourselves," Will teased, lightly nudging Tessa in the side. "But you're half right."

"Oh, am I?" Tessa said, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes, this is an American school. But no, most of us are not American. Actually, come to think of it, you're probably the only one in this school."

"The only one?"

"Don't worry, everyone would love an American woman in their life." He winked at Tessa, and she squealed in fear. "You're so easy to tease, you know that Tess?"

Tessa felt a jolt pass through her. No one ever called her that before. "So where are most people from?" she said, wanting to discuss something different.

Will shrugged. "Mainly from around the UK. They come here because most of us want to attend a university in the States."

"Is that so? I have another question then," Tessa said.

"Ah, the madam has yet another one. Please, ask again."

"Where do you want to go to college?"

"I'm not quite sure yet. My parents want me to go to the Ivies or Stanford or something along those lines. I would prefer to settle anywhere on the East Coast." Tessa felt like an underachiever compared to Will. "I could care less what my parents want. Well, more like what my father wants."

"Why's that?"

"My parents are divorced, and it's all my father's fault. He moves around in England, while my mother has settled in Chicago for now." He said this as if he didn't want to elaborate any more. "I'm sorry," Tessa said genuinely. Will shrugged. The man at the omelet station delivered their freshly cooked omelets, and Will and Tessa grabbed them and then handed the people at the check out counter their meal cards. They then began to walk back to their table.

"Now I have a question for you, Miss Gray," Will said, and Tessa nodded, urging him onwards. "So what about you? Where would you like to go to university?"

"My dream school is New York University," Tessa said.

"Is that so? New Amsterdam, eh?"

"It's my hometown."

"Ah New York, the city that never sleeps," Will said in his worst New Yorker accent. Tessa burst out laughing, and Will grinned. As they made their way back, they passed by the table where Tatiana was sitting, glowering at the pair of them. When Will wasn't looking, Tatiana immaturely stuck her tongue out at Tessa. If Tessa was just a bit more gutsy, she totally would have flipped her off.

* * *

Immediately after breakfast, there was a mad rush towards the main building of the Institute. Right when they all walked in, there were three tables spread out, organized in alphabetical order: A-H, I-P, and Q-Z. Tessa hurried alongside Sophie, Jem, Cecily, and Will to the first table, A-H, as they parted ways with Gabriel, who joined Tatiana at the I-P table. Tessa looked at Will, who scrunched his face in annoyance.

"Her last name is Lightwood, too," Will explained. "They're cousins, unfortunately."

"Oh, come on Will," Cecily said, placing her hands on her hips. "Tatiana isn't that bad."

"That's what you think," Will scoffed. "Wait until she starts hovering around. The little bitch will never leave you alone."

"Will, be nice," Jem scolded his friend.

"It's the truth!" Will declared.

"Oh shut up, will you," Cecily said as she turned to talk to one of the counselors who was handing out the schedules.

Will opened up his mouth to say a retort, when he was pushed forward and was forced to speak to another counselor. He got his schedule and moved to the side along with Jem, Sophie, and Cecily, where they were all comparing their classes.

"Last name, please?" someone said, and looked down at an expectant counselor. She was short with brown hair in a bun neatly in the back and large brown eyes.

"Gray," Tessa said.

The lady fumbled through a stack in front of her, searching the papers for the letter "G". She found it and pulled it out. "Ah, here it is. So you're the new girl from America. Well, welcome to the Institute. I'm sure you'll have a very memorable year here." She glanced down at the paper again. "And look, you have me as your counselor. The name is Charlotte Branwell, but you may call me Charlotte if you like." She held out her hand and Tessa politely shook it.

"Pleased to meet you Charlotte," Tessa said, and Charlotte smiled. She handed the paper over to Tessa, who gladly took it.

"If you ever need my help in anything, I'm always here for you," Charlotte said, folding her hands together. "I'm in room 12A in the main office straight down the hallway to your left. Good luck with your first day of classes!"

"Thank you," Tessa said, and hurried over to the others, who were all waiting for her in anticipation. She took a quick peak at her schedule. It seemed that for the whole year she was to take, in this particular order, calculus, art, Biology, European history, English literature of the 19th Century, and much to her dismay, PE. She was hoping that she would get out of PE, but nope. Plus, she had to take a math course since her school in New York only recommended two years, but for the Institute they required three to graduate. And, on top of that, it appeared that art met not only five days a week, but also on the weekends. This was going to be tons of fun. At least each class was only fifty minutes each, with an hour lunch break in between European history and English. That was much better than the ninety minute blocks she had back in her old public school

"Let me see! Let me see!" Cecily said, jumping up and down as Tessa neared them all.

"Calm down, Cecy," Will said, poking his little sister.

Cecily ignored her brother and grabbed Tessa's schedule, her eyes darting to and fro as she rapidly read through. "Eek!" Cecily squealed in delight. "We have art and PE together!"

Sophie peered down over Cecily's shoulders. "Tessa, you're in my art, biology, and European history class with me!"

"Let me see that," Jem said gently and deftly picked up the schedule from Sophie's hands. "Art and calculus. Not bad." He smiled. It truly was contagious.

Will laughed. "Of course you would be taking math again. You are the only one here to do all four years of that. I guess the rest of us are too stupid to continue on."

"William, you know it's one of my favorite subjects," Jem said. And calculus was one of Tessa's worst, so she was grateful that Jem was in her class. That, and he was just so nice.

"Fair enough," Will reasoned. "May I see that?" Jem nodded and Will reached out with his long, slim fingers, skimming through Tessa's classes, shaking his head every once and a while. "Hm, it seems that we all have art together. And you're in my Biology and English literature class. You better not copy off of me – those are my two best subjects."

Tessa laughed and reached out for her schedule. She was glad to know at least one person in each class; at least she wouldn't be a loner. And what was the best part? She had her two favorite classes, Biology and English literature, with Will Herondale. This day was just about to get better. The odds were definitely in her favor.

* * *

**I just had to add that little Hunger Games reference in the end. It was much too tempting xD**

**YAY CHAPTER TWO IS UP! Now that I've finally finished _Forbidden Love_, I can focus on this story. But, since school just started, it's going to be harder for me to update. I solemnly swear that I'll try to upload a new chapter at least once or twice a week. It just depends how packed my week is xD**

**You guys are the best! Like seriously! I only asked for three reviews for the last chapter, but I got TEN more than expected. WOO HOO! Plus ten favorites and twenty-six follows. I'm not complaining :) So some of you reviewed that this is like _Anna and the French Kiss_. You guys are right! It's the inspiration behind this story, and I'm loosely basing this off of that. And for those of you who haven't read that book yet, READ IT! I'm not a fan of chick lit, but this one is AH-MAZING!**

**On that note, could I get ten reviews for the next chapter? Thanks!**


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